photo: By Jeff Kubina (Coffee Beans) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Terroir + Components
4a) Terroir can be understood the metaphysical circle of soil, nature, origin and human intervention that are contributing factors to a taste of place.
4b) The Terroir of Coffee is immensely complicated and requires strong understanding of place and plant life. Over 6,500 strains of Coffee are grown in 50 different countries across the globe. Unlike wine, taste association is less relevant to geographical location and depends more on the strain of coffee being grown, how it was processed (including roasting), and brewed. High end coffee’s that have the most unique tastes belong to the Arabica family of coffee plants and accounts for about 70% of the coffee consumed in the United States.